Every day more doctors recommend Acupuncture to their patients as complementary therapy for back pain. An Australian acupuncture clinical trial conducted in four Melbourne emergency departments has found acupuncture is just as effective as drugs in relieving lower-back pain and pain from sprained ankles and migraines with far less side effects.
Acupuncture is traditionally used to treat a wide range of conditions, and medical science over the last ten years is catching up with the evidence, with a lot more expected in the future. The Acupuncture Evidence Project has found a large body of positive evidence that supports the use of Acupuncture as an effective intervention for chronic lower back pain and high level scientific evidence of potential positive effect for acute lower back pain and back and pelvic pain during pregnancy.
In the British National Health System (NHS) a course of 10 sessions of Acupuncture can be recommended by G.P.’s as a first line treatment for persistent, non-specific low back pain. A course of regular Acupuncture treatments has been shown to provide long term relief for those who suffer chronic back pain.
Acupuncture can help relieve back pain by:
- Reducing signals to pain receptors - Acupuncture leads to the release of endorphins and other biochemical changes that affect the processing of pain in the brain and spinal cord.
- Micro-injury facilitates healing - providing analgesia; acupuncture point stimulation interrupts pain pathways
- Intra-muscular stimulation - releasing muscle shortening
- Reducing inflammation - by promoting the release of vascular and immune-modulatory factors.
- Improving muscle stiffness and joint mobility – by increasing local microcirculation which aids the dispersal of swelling and bruising.
- Reducing the use of and dependence on pain medication.
- Reducing pain from disc herniations and muscular strains
What to expect
An Acupuncture treatment is tailored to each person. Your acupuncturist takes a detailed case history to find out what is causing your pain, taking into consideration factors such as general health and lifestyle, stress, emotional state and physical environment. For example, two people with the same type of back pain in a similar location may receive two very different treatments.
You will receive a hands-on treatment to provide initial pain relief. Your consultation will include the insertion of fine needles in acupuncture points to improve blood flow and circulation within the body, this relaxes the nervous system and encourages your internal opioid receptors to provide an analgesic effect so that you experience pain relief.
Oriental massage techniques are often included in a treatment and therapies such as cupping, moxibustion and electro-acupuncture may also be applied.
As with all medical intervention some risk is involved, however acupuncture is considered a safe modality when conducted by a skilled acupuncturist. Our Acupuncturists are gentle, compassionate, experienced and effective and our treatment rooms are some of the most modern and relaxing in Brisbane.